Increasing distribution of digital content has helped the growth of more advanced display technologies such as high definition televisions. At the same time computers have developed an increasing role in entertainment systems and thus connected with high definition devices such as televisions. In order to get the best possible visual experience, the output settings need to match content format and the capabilities of the display device. Therefore, there are times when a user will need to change the resolution of the output or when a new device is connected.
A problem exists however when the user sets output settings (e.g., resolution or refresh rate) beyond the capabilities of a display device. For example, the user may be trying to watch a high definition DVD and sets the display resolution to a “1080p” while the display device (e.g., plasma television) only supports a display resolution up to 720p. Such changes to the display resolution are typically implemented via a television handheld remote control that manipulates one or more on-screen menus (e.g., a menu of options graphically presented on the television screen). Upon pressing the remote control button to select the high-resolution, the user will then be presented with either a blank screen or a corrupted and incomprehensible video signal because the display device is not capable of displaying the input signal provided to it.
Some prior art solutions have attempted to solve this problem (e.g., the user selecting a unsupported display resolution) by waiting for a user to acknowledge that the resolution change worked. If no acknowledgement is received within a defined time out period the resolution is restored to the previous working resolution. Unfortunately, this time out method is not consistently reliable, because depending upon how it is implemented (e.g., set-top box, media center PC, etc.), the timeout function may freeze or stop functioning.
With respect to PC-based systems (e.g., small form factor set-top box PC systems, wired or wirelessly connected PCs, etc.), the software-based functionality (e.g. operating systems) of the systems do not provide even a time out mechanism. In this case, the user will be stuck with the unsupported resolution. For example, the user may be stuck with a blank screen because he/she cannot see an application on screen, control panel menu, or the like to fix the output settings. Being suddenly confronted with a blank screen, the user may also not realize what the mistake was and further be stuck because he/she does not know how to go about fixing the problem. In some instances, the only solution to restore the resolution is to reboot or restart the computer system.
Further, an output configuration application may be running on a computer system (e.g., connected to a home entertainment system) in user space and thus not in protected mode. This attribute tends to make the application unreliable for ensuring the user is not left with an unusable output on a display device. For example, the output configuration application waiting for an acknowledgement from a user may be running in user space and stop functioning as a result of a bug or malfunction in another user space application (e.g., 3rd party software, spyware, viruses, etc.).
Thus, a need exists for a reliable way for users to restore the resolution so that the output is not left at a resolution unsupported by a display device. What is further needed is a way to automatically return to a displayable resolution so the user is not presented with a blank screen, and thus no on screen menu or interface that can correct the problem. The required system should be transparent and intuitively comprehended by the user.